Using Nazi Unethical Science

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the ethicacy question is, that, although the means by which the science conducted during World War II by Nazi Germany is now considered unethical, the data produced is valid and should be available for analysis because the Nazi research, which was derived from human experiments, offers an unprecedented authenticity. The author points out that some people argue that, since the unethical crime had already been committed, the data should be used because its scientific merit is irrelevant to the manner in which it was obtained; whereas, others contend that the use of the tainted data is morally degrading to the victims of the Nazi-sponsored science. The paper concludes that this data should be used to improve the quality of human life only after paying respect to the victims and prolonging the memory of these events.

From the Paper:

"The Nazi sponsored science encompassed a wide range of fields. Research on diseases such as malaria, gangrene, sulfanilamide, tuberculosis, and wound and poison effects were heavily pursued. Josef Mengele, a scientist, worked closely with twins, as he would often infect one with a deadly disease, and upon the arrival of death, murder the other and compare the organs of the twins. Many medical experiments were conducted to try and improve the survival of German pilots in the Luftwaffe (air force). These tests included prisoners being subjected to high heat, high-pressure as well as low pressure, and freezing mixtures. Often the inmates were tested "until they expired." The particular scientific endeavor that I will be focusing on is the Dachau hypothermia experiments led by Sigmund Rascher. The experiments were designed to find the most effective order in which to re-heat pilots who had crashed in the North Sea."

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